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Sunday, May 30, 2010

I love southern food. For me, few things are better then a juicy, mouthwatering piece of fried chicken alongside a plate of mashed potatoes and mac n' cheese. One of the great misfortunes of Columbia, South Carolina, however, is the lack of great Southern cooking restaurants. A northerner might think you couldn't walk out the door without seeing a low country eatery around here, but it, rather, is the complete opposite: you'll have to look mighty hard for it in this town if your looking for quality Southern cooking a la restaurant.

This week's dining crew. Props to the hats for tagging along!

In my endless search for real southern cooking, I received a tip from a friend to check out a place called 'Southern Skillet' - a small, almost-impossible-to-find-unless-told, buffet on the west side of town. On the surface, it looked promising: a true local business, the restaurant was packed from front to back with the lunch time crowd. The walls were lightly covered with southern emblems and images - some of which you may have to read twice to believe - and the restaurant as a whole exuded a local feel as the employees greeted and mingled with the regulars, including the chef who often stepped into the dining room to chat with customers.

A look at the surroundings.

After being seated, our dining crew of three went straight to work, piling our plates with everything we could get our hands on. The buffet was fairly small. Starting with a few vegetable dishes such as boiled cabbage and mash potatoes, the line quickly moved towards the main entrees including fried chicken and the two specials of the day - fried fish and pork chops.

For the first few moments, things seemed promising. Everything tasted homemade: the veggies - while nothing spectacular - were satisfying, the mashed potatoes were obviously not store bought, and the gravy was fair - not too rich, but still enough flavor to be a good match with the rice and mash. There was also smoked sausage, which is basically the equivalent of cheating in that there is no real way you could possibly go wrong with having that on your menu. Then there was the fried chicken. Well-seasoned and dripping with juices, the chicken definitely earned a thumbs up around the table. It's always a good sign when you don't need condiments to enjoy the chicken. All in all, the first plate seemed like a winner for our fair dining crew. It was all smiles as we rampaged the last of our initial chicken and finished our first run. Unfortunately, things started to turn... 'north' as we embarked on our second run at the buffet line.

It may have been thumbs up here, but it was only a matter of timebefore things started going dangerously downhill.

I'm no southerner. As an Asian-American who grew up in the Midwest, I can wholeheartedly say that I am the furthest thing from a southern cooking expert. But, as I took a shot at the next list of items, I couldn't help but feel somewhat robbed of something distinctly southern. The first culprit was the 'gumbo', which turned out to be nothing more then a not-so-hearty tomato stew. The lack of okra - or anything else in general - turned out to be a huge disappointment here. There was no reason they possibly could have been aiming for tomato stew here, so I can't help but call it a failure. Also as bad was the 'fried cornbread' - truly mindblowing in concept and somehow amazingly dry - or the overly-fried corn cake, an interesting addition to the buffet, but poorly executed with all the grease and overpowering buttery taste.

Then there was the macaroni and cheese. When I think of mac n' cheese, I think of that gooey, creamy, cheesiness of the lower layers, and that crusty, extra cheesy top, all hot and sizzling as I pile it onto my plate. Unfortunately, there was none of that to be had here. I had an extreme lack of cheese in the bottom portions, and the top was neither crusty or gooey, but rather - of all things - a bit on the chewy side as the cheese had come together and formed into an entity of its own. And despite arriving in relatively good time (before 1 PM, they are only open for lunch between 11-2 PM), we got the cold end of the mac, adding to the increasing disappointment. I couldn't help but feel that it was a little too well done overall - and not in the compliment sense. The pork chop and fried fish were equally disappointing. While surprisingly tender on first bite, the pork chop soon dried out halfway through. The fried fish had a bit of a toughness to it that became quickly unappealing.

As much as we'd like to say desert saved the day, the bad news kept on coming. We sadly hit the peach cobbler years too late, leaving us with the final two choices - banana pudding and lemon bundt cake. The banana pudding, best put, had the consistency of Elmer's glue, and - if Elmer's glue tasted like a chewy, sticky pile of flavorless goo - had roughly the same taste as well. Our hopes quickly went to the bundt cake. Piled with whip cream, a thick, lemony glaze, and strawberries, it seemed like there was no way it could fail... but it did. One bite said it all - you'll never have a sweeter moment in your life. Packed with enough sugar to power a small village for the winter, the cake was almost completely unedible unless someone wanted to live dangerously - and even then they might think twice about this sugary death.

Final Verdict: Southern Skillet overall turned out to be a bit of a disappointment in our search for great southern cooking in Columbia. While the fried chicken earned points, the lack of quality elsewhere ended up being a major letdown. If you are aching for some decent fried chicken in Columbia though, feel free to try out their carryout option - a fair substitute and cost-effective way to get some local cooking - but if your looking for the real deal from top-to-bottom, it looks like your search will have to forge on.

If you live in the Columbia area and would like to join any of my dining adventures throughout this summer, just leave me a message or email me at bach_phm@yahoo.com. Till next time, thanks for reading and later days!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

"Hello my friend!"exclaims the owner of Andy's Deli, Andy himself. I've only eaten at Andy's Deli a handful of times in the past several years, but - like every other person who walks into the restaurant - you'll get the same genuine welcome as if you've been there since the beginning. This family run business has been treating customers for decades with the same great deli sandwiches the owner started making all those years ago. Today, it's the younger generation running the sandwich line while Andy takes his place at the register.

The man himself.

Unlike other deli's in town, the first thing that stands out the moment you walk into the restaurant is the sense of local pride inside. Those in Columbia know it can be a rarity to find something so distinctly "Columbia" in the restaurants around town, but not so here. Andy's walls are filled to the brim with USC memories, including pictures of the owner himself posing with past USC sporting teams, cheer leading squads, friends, and family.

While you can find all the old deli stand-by's here, Andy's Deli shines in the tried-and-true specials. No matter what you order, you're sure to get a soft and chewy hoagie mixed-and-matched in every way you could think of, from the french dip and ruben to more eclectic-named subs such as the R2-D2 or Astronaut. Best of all is the deli's signature sandwich, Andy's Special, which comes stacked with roasted ham and turkey, piled with bacon bits, and topped with melted provolone cheese while served with a generous pile of their special sauce on the side. Rich, creamy, and slightly tangy, the special sauce provides the perfect compliment to both chips and sandwiches alike.

Served the same way each and every time without fail.

As if the sandwich wasn't satisfying enough, nothing washes down an Andy's Special better then a cold can of Dr. Brown black cherry soda - the best you'll ever have hands down - poured onto their shaved ice. Who takes the time to make shaved ice these days? Only at Andy's. There's simply no better way to have it in my opinion.

You can have your Coke. I'll take my black cherry soda anyday of the week.

For all the good, there is a drawback: the prices are a bit on the hefty side - unfortunately, deli sandwiches aren't recession proof. For any special with a soda, it'll set you back over $8. Fortunately, a large and varied menu can still keep you around $6 if you're on a shoestring budget and features some interesting picks that are sure to satisfy any taste out there, including a host of inexpensive salads for the student on the go.

Andy's Deli, for me, will always remain an important place in my past, present, and future. It was the first place I ate at in Columbia, and for a young kid so far away from home, it meant a lot to feel so welcomed the moment I stepped in and met Andy. You may not go there often for the food, but you will come back to say hi and perhaps have a can of cherry soda with the man behind the counter.